L-R: Isaiah Stonehouse, Mitchell Brady and Keone Friesen comprise The Static Shift, a Calgary-based band which shared the stage with Red Deer's The Capones on Friday at Bo's Bar and Stage. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

rock on!

Vintage rockers The Static Shift play surprise gig at Hunting Hills

Oct 5, 2019 | 10:06 AM

Calgary band The Static Shift is feeling good vibrations after a tour stop in Red Deer Friday night.

The ‘vintage-style rock and roll’ band recently surpassed the 200 show mark and signed on with brand new record label Ceramic J Records, which is owned by Red Deer’s The Capones.

Prior to their gig alongside The Capones at Bo’s Bar and Stage, the boys, who are 21, 21, and 20-years-old, took time out of their busy schedule to surprise the Hunting Hills High School Rock Band class with a concert in the school’s studios.

“I was lucky enough in junior high for some bands and artists to come in and play,” says Mitchell Brady, the group’s lead vocalist. “When you turn 18, you can go into bars and see bands, but in junior high, you don’t get the chance all the time unless you’ve got to tickets to a show at the Saddledome. We’re not too much older than them, so it’s also a thing where they can see that it’s possible.”

In 2018, The Static Shift unveiled their single ‘Wide Awake’ on CTV’s The Launch TV program, and have since opened up for well-known acts like Collective Soul, Big Sugar, and Billy Talent.

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“That was all a dream to us. If there’s anything we’ve learned, it’s how to connect with the crowd more,” admits bass player Keone Friesen.

“We might not have been able to go on tour with Collective Soul if it wasn’t for The Launch, and open up for Kansas at the CNE, which was our largest show to date,” Brady recalls. “It was 7000 people and I don’t think any of us even remember that set.”

They also had the thrill of playing a show at Hollywood’s Whiskey a Go Go, where Jimmy Hendrix once rocked.

But it’s never a smooth road for an upstart band, the trio confessing that when facing adversity, it’s easy to lose sight of what you’ve accomplished.

“Just stay inspired, listen to music that inspires you to play instruments, to sing, and find good friends you can grow up with,” says drummer Isaiah Stonehouse. “We were lucky enough to find each other when we were in grade nine or ten, but try and have fun because if you lose sight of things, it can be really depressing.”

“In the music industry, you ride this wave to popularity; an artist releases an album, it’s popular for a bit, then it sinks down and they release another,” Brady adds. “Some people get used to the high energy, but that can be dangerous because they might live for that all the time, and then they get really sad when they don’t have that.”

While the three reside in Calgary and went to high school there, Brady is the only one born and raised, while Stonehouse hails from Vancouver and Friesen is a native of Abbotsford, BC.

“There are so many Canadian bands that have done well. I look at some of the bands I’ve been inspired by like the Arkells, Tokyo Police Club and Said The Whale,” says Stonehouse. “They’re all pretty proudly Canadian — and even Rush. There is a lot to be proud of as Canadians, and we’re proud to be an up and coming band and working our way towards something.”

Friesen reveals that the band has a large backlog of written music just waiting to be transformed into a third studio album, which would follow up their 2014 debut ‘Windsor Street’ and 2017’s ‘Common Bliss.’

The band’s latest single is of the double variety and is called 1965/Deja Vu.

Meantime, The Capones recently released their third album entitled Headlights. You can listen to some of their music at TheCaponesBand.com.